News

Makarfi Declares Presidential Bid, Battles Atiku for PDP Ticket

Published

8 years ago

June 18, 2018

Eric

A former Governor of Kaduna State and immediate past Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has joined the race to contest the nation’s presidency in 2019.

The two-term-senator said at a press briefing in Kaduna on Sunday that after wide consultations with party men and women as well as other major stakeholders, he had decided to seek the party’s nomination to contest the poll.

According to Makarfi, he is now ready to pick the PDP nomination form ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

He explained that after the consultations, the result was quite positive and encouraging and that it was fair enough for him to come out and join other “capable party men and women” to seek the party’s nomination for the 2019 presidential election.

Makarfi will battle a former Vice President and presidential hopeful of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, who had recently appointed a former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the Director-General of his 2019 presidential campaign.

Though he had yet to intimate his party through writing, he added that “one has to come to the decision to seek the nomination before you even seek formally.”

He said, “I have not written to the party but who do you consult with? It is the same party men and women that you consult informally.

“At this stage, it is to seek the party’s nomination. The successful nominee will become the candidate that will stand for the election.

“But first thing first. If one’s party does not put one forward, one can’t say he is contesting the presidency yet. At this stage, I have come to the conclusion that it is okay, based on the consultations that I have had.”

“I have been consulting across the country since I left as the chairman of the party. It’s just consultations and not an endorsement. But it gives you an opportunity to feel the pulse and it will tell whether to go forward or not to go forward.

“The consultations have been quite positive and I believe it is fair enough to come to the conclusion that one should join other equally capable party men and women who have shown interest in seeking the party’s nomination for the 2019 presidential election.”

Makarfi also noted that he had all it took to lead Nigerians to the promise land and thanked the All Progressives Congress for campaigning for the PDP through “bad governance.”

“We must also thank the APC for working for us because they have been working for us. They have refused to govern well, they have been fighting each other,” he said.

He added that anybody that could manage Kaduna State, which he described as ‘mini Nigeria’, could as well govern the country.

He said, “For me, I have known governance for some time at the state level. I served Kaduna for three years as commissioner for finance and economic planning. I came in from the private sector.

“I have private sector experience, especially banking. I governed this complex state for eight years. I have legislative experience, having been in the Senate for a two-term of eight years.

“I got a bonanza, when the party leadership fell on my laps, to know about managing a political party. If you cannot manage your party, even if you are elected, you will have problems governing.”

“If you cannot manage a complex society such as Kaduna State, which is a mini Nigeria, you cannot manage Nigeria,” the former governor added.

When asked if he would quit the party should he fail to realise his ambition on the platform of the PDP, the former governor said he would support whoever emerged as the candidate of the party among Atiku, a former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke; a former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido; and a host of others.

In an apparent reference to the nPDP members in APC, the former governor called on them to come back home, noting that it was obvious that most of them were no longer needed in the ruling party.

“The question before them is where will they go to? The overwhelming majority of them no longer have room in that party. If you stay, what are they staying for?,” Makarfi queried.

The Punch

News

Military Discovers B’Haram Underground Storage, Fuel Dump

Published

3 days ago

January 20, 2026

Eric

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have uncovered an underground Boko Haram logistics storage facility stocked with medical supplies, fuel and other critical materials after overrunning several terrorist enclaves in the Timbuktu Triangle area of Borno State.

The discovery followed a series of coordinated, intelligence-led offensives conducted on Sunday across Chilaria, Garin Faruk and Abirma, during which the troops also repelled multiple drone attacks launched by the terrorists.

The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Uba Sani, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.

According to Sani, the operation, carried out under Operation Desert Sanity, resulted in the destruction of several terrorist camps and significantly degraded the logistical and operational capabilities of Boko Haram and ISWAP elements operating in the axis.

“Troops of the Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation HADIN KAI, have recorded further operational successes in the ongoing Operation DESERT SANITY, destroying multiple terrorist camps, recovering arms and equipment, and repelling coordinated attacks by the insurgents in the Timbuktu Triangle,” the statement said.

It added that on Sunday, January 18, 2026, troops advanced from their harbour areas and conducted deliberate, intelligence-driven operations against identified terrorist enclaves in Chilaria, Garin Faruk and Abirma.

Sani explained that the operation was supported by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, which provided persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance coverage throughout the advance.

He said during the clearance operations, “troops recovered several items of military significance, including Baofeng radios, phones, five AK-47 magazines, several rounds of 7.62 × 39mm special ammunition and 7.62mm NATO belted ammunition.”

Others include “several Boko Haram/ISWAP flags, links of 12.7 × 108 mm ammunition, diesel powered grinding machines, large quantity of medical supplies, several bags of grains, pick-up truck, underground logistics storage and petroleum and oil lubricant dump, which all further degraded the operational and logistical capability of the terrorists.”

He said the “recoveries further degraded the operational and logistical capacity of the terrorists,”.

However, Sani revealed that at about midday, the advancing troops came under armed drone attacks launched by the terrorists.

“Despite this, the troops maintained momentum and continued the offensives. A second drone attack attempted in the evening was also decisively repelled, forcing the terrorists to withdraw and reaffirming the troops’ dominance of the area,” he said.

Sani added that despite sustained engagements, troop morale remains high and fighting efficiency continues to be maintained.

News

Rivers High Court Temporarily Halts Fubara’s Impeachment Process

Published

7 days ago

January 16, 2026

Eric

A Rivers High Court sitting in Oyigbo Local Government Area has issued an interim injunction temporarily halting further action on the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Nma-Odu.

In a ruling delivered in Port Harcourt, the court restrained Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, alongside 32 other defendants — including the Clerk of the House and the Chief Judge of Rivers State – from taking steps aimed at advancing the impeachment process.

Specifically, the order barred the Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, from receiving, forwarding, considering, or acting on any request, resolution, or impeachment-related document from the Assembly for the purpose of constituting an investigative panel, pending the determination of the matter. The injunction is to subsist for seven days.

The order was granted by Justice Florence Fiberesima following the hearing of a motion ex parte filed separately by Governor Fubara and his deputy. In the two suits—marked OYHC/7/CS/2026 and OYHC/6/CS/2026—the court also granted the claimants leave to serve the interim order and other originating processes on the first to the thirty-first defendants by pasting them at the gate of the Rivers State Assembly quarters.

The court also directed that the Chief Judge, listed as the thirty-second defendant, be served through any staff of the judiciary at his chambers within the court premises.

Justice Fiberesima, thereafter, adjourned the matter to January 23, 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice, as the legal battle over the impeachment move shifts from the political arena to the courtroom.

On Friday, the Rivers State House of Assembly had asked the Chief Judge to set up a panel to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Fubara and his deputy.

The assembly members, who made the call through a unanimous vote, vowed to continue with the impeachment process.

The lawmakers had earlier addressed a press conference in Port Harcourt, where they accused Fubara of allegedly using blackmail.

Addressing journalists, the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, claimed Fubara lacks the trust needed to address the crisis rocking the oil-rich State.

They accused the governor of infringing on the 1999 Constitution, saying the parliament was left with no other choice but to apply their legislative power by impeaching him from office.

The lawmakers also claimed the governor and his deputy had resorted to intimidating the parliament.

They, however, thanked President Bola Tinubu for wading into the crisis.

The members also called on the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, to reconvene the House.

Their position came weeks after they initiated an impeachment process against Fubara and Odu. The lawmakers are accusing them of gross negligence, a move that has heightened political tension in the coastal State.

News

JAMB Announces Jan 26 As Commencement Date for Sale of 2026 Entry Forms

Published

1 week ago

January 14, 2026

Eric

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the sales of registration forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.

JAMB stated this in a post on its X handle on Tuesday night.

“UTME is open to suitably qualified candidates for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session,” the photo statement signed by its Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, read.

“Registration commences January 2026 and closes March 2026 (exact dates to be announced by JAMB),” the post read, disclosing that the UTME examination is scheduled to hold in April 2026.

“The period of registration for UTME candidates, including those from foreign countries, is from Monday, 26th January, 2026 to Saturday, 28th February, 2026,” the statement read in part.`

According to JAMB, candidates must have obtained their National Identification Number (NIN) before registration.

The agency said, “Only candidates who will not be less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 are generally eligible to apply/be considered.”

But it clarified that, “Candidates less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 will have to undergo an intensive evaluation to determine their eligibility for a waiver. Such must have scored not less than 80% in each of UTME/ALEVEL, PUTME, SSCE, and in the exceptional candidate assessment.”

“The UTME results of the underage candidates will be released only at the conclusion of the complete evaluation process,” JAMB said.

For Direct Entry candidates, the “Sale of 2026 Direct Entry (DE) application documents and E-PIN vending would commence from Monday, 2nd March, 2026, and end by Saturday, 25th April, 2026, and would only be at the Board’s State and Zonal Offices.”

“The 2026 UTME will commence on Thursday, 16th April, 2026 and end on Saturday, 25th April, 2026,” JAMB wrote. “Mock-UTME (optional) shall hold on Saturday, March 28th, 2026.”